There are details in the Newell Crew and Case History 328 pages that are not presented here. Additional information can be found within the Osaka Virtual Cemetery created by Scott Muselin.

Lt Cobb was born in Gilmer, Texas, 31 August 1923. He enlisted in the Army during October 1942 and was deferred until Year 03.The few dental records in his Individual Deceased Personnel File ( IDPF ) indicate that he was at Hondo AAFNS in August 1943 and Herington AAF in October and November 1944.

His name appears in the 30 April 1944 877th Bomb Squadron Roster of Officers at Smoky Hills AAF         
( SHAAF ). He was best man at 1st Lt David W Cobb's wedding at Smoky Hills AAF in May 1944.

There are about 180 pages in his IDPF and close to half concern correspondence. This correspondence revolves around Lt Cobb's parents ( Ervin and Lucy Cobb ), his wife ( Mary Y Cobb ), US Senator Tom Connally, Congressman Lindley Beckworth, and various branches of the US Army and USAF.

Senator Connally's correspondence took place mostly in 1947 while that of Congressman Beckworth was in 1949 during the time Lt Cobb's remains were being returned to his hometown of Gilmer, Texas.

A key focal point of this correspondence is the term Legal Next of Kin. Lt Cobb and his wife Mary were married sometime in 1944. Following formal documentation of his death in 1946, she remarried William R Click on 23 December 1946.

Ervin Cobb was upset that he was not getting direct correspondence from the US Army. During late 1946 and early 1947 he was informed that Mary was Legal Next of Kin and thus all correspondence was directed to her. It would be up to Mary to inform Lt Cobb's parents of any information concerning their son.

One page of Missing Air Crew Report 14911 is at the bottom of this page and lists those who are Next of Kin. These are Legal Next of Kin and it took from January through July 1947 to replace Mary's name with Mr Ervin Cobb. Some details are in Mary Y Cobb's and Senator Tom Connally's sections

Lt Cobb's remains were not directly transported from Yokohama Cemetery to Gilmer Texas. The US Army Transport Star Reefer stopped at Oahu and the caskets were transported to the Armed Forces Mausoleum, most likely at Schofield Barracks.

Within in Mary's and Senator Connally's sections you will encounter about a quarter of the Correspondence within Lt Cobb's IDPF. Congressman Beckworth was instrumental in making certain that proper burial arrangements were taken care of. His efforts appear in the Coming Home section

Details of Lt Cobb's Recovery and Identification are within that section. The time between locating his remains in the Sanadayama Military Cemetery and his preliminary identification took about two weeks.

There are two Battle Casualty Reports and two Reports of Death in Official Documents. You will note changes of Mary's status in these documents.

My thanks to
John Lehnen
Scott Muselin
Roy Wall

for their contributions that made this page possible

BACK TO TOP